


Family Matters

by hunnyfresh



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family Drama, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-16
Packaged: 2017-11-25 18:34:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,190
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/641786
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunnyfresh/pseuds/hunnyfresh
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just as Regina and Emma are beginning to settle down together, Neal Cassidy arrives in Storybrooke disrupting their peace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any recognizable characters
> 
> AN: This is inspired from a Tumblr prompt which I'll reveal at the end of the fic for suspense's sake. I'm actually very excited to be writing this, so for the anon who gave me the prompt, thank you!

Regina woke up, surprisingly well-rested. She had been sleeping well for over a month now, and it was all thanks to the blonde woman lying on her stomach beside her. It had been a long, painstakingly difficult journey during the month the blonde and her mother were trapped in the Enchanted Forest with no means of return. It was during this time where the absence Regina and Emma both felt for the other became more pronounced.

Upon Emma's return, the two women discussed, almost awkwardly, what occurred in their respective realms during their time spent apart. It was here they realized that they missed the other's presence almost ridiculously so. Missing turned to longing, with longing turning to loving, and loving evolved into determination to return home. As they shared in their first tender and still hesitant kiss that night, they knew it was true when they said absence makes the heart grow fonder.

The Charmings were not pleased, to say the least, when they accidentally stumbled upon the couple sneaking a kiss a couple weeks later, and it made Mary Margaret cringe to realize that it was Regina Emma was sneaking out in the middle of the night to see. They still didn't trust the brunette, despite her path to redemption, but after their daughter gave them hell about not caring whether they liked her or not, David and Mary Margaret learned to tolerate her.

Despite their tolerance, they refused to allow Henry, or Emma for that matter, to move back in with Regina. They couldn't stop their daughter from leaving in the middle of the night and returning just before the crack of dawn, but they could prevent her from moving her belongings into the house of the woman that ruined their happy ending.

Although it angered Mary Margaret when she didn't bother coming home in the morning, Emma couldn't care less and continued spending most nights in Regina's bed.

Regina grinned when the blonde moved closer to her in her sleep and wrapped an arm around her middle, unconsciously nuzzling her face against Regina's torso. She brushed stray hairs from her lover's face as the blonde's eyes slowly opened. "Morning."

Emma groaned into her neck. "Easy for you to say. You don't have to work anymore."

"I imagine your job is much more appealing than being home alone all day," Regina teased.

Emma smirked and leaned up to kiss her full lips. "Should I call in sick?"

"Your mother will have your head," the brunette reminded and slipped out of the bed.

At the mention of her mother, Emma rolled over to check her phone, expecting a million and one messages from Mary Margaret expressing her annoyance and concern. She wasn't disappointed in finding the numerous missed calls, but she was surprised when she saw a message from August. According to various residents, Marco included, he was nowhere to be found since the curse broke. That had been nearly two months ago. But here he was now, just as mysterious as when he first arrived to Storybrooke, with a seemingly urgent text message.

_We need to talk._

She sat up in the bed and eyed the message with a confused expression.

"What is it?" Regina asked when she noticed the blonde's face.

"It's August," Emma said almost making the statement sound like a question.

"What does he want?" Neither woman could deny the venom in Regina's voice. The older woman was all too aware of the flirtatious advances the man had thrust upon Emma months before.

Emma got out of bed with a shrug. "He wants to talk."

"About?"

Emma laughed and made her way over to the brunette. She leaned over Regina where she sat at her vanity and caught her attention through the mirror. "If I knew that he would have said it."

Regina glared at the blonde's amusement and finished brushing her hair, purposely whipping strands in Emma's face. Emma smirked and pried Regina's fingers away from the brush and set it on the table. "When I find out, you'll be the first to know."

\---

Not even an hour after Emma left to go to work, she returned to the mansion, slamming the door enough to shake the house.

Regina, who was in the parlor reading _Addiction and Recovery for Dummies_ as requested by Archie, lowered the book in time to see Emma walk by the open concept, wringing her hands and muttering. By the sound of glasses tinkering, she had gone directly to Regina's liquor cabinet.

The brunette marked her place in the book and replaced it on the bookshelf before leaving to find the Sheriff.

She caught Emma draining a glass of bourbon and already moving to pour herself another one. Striding purposefully, she halted the blonde's movement of pouring a drink and forced her to meet her gaze. "What's wrong?"

The fire behind Emma's green eyes was still present, but it was evident the blonde was doing her best not to misdirect her anger. She unconsciously took a step closer to Regina, shaking her head in an attempt to ease her mind. "August."

"What did he do?" The threat in Regina's tone didn't go unnoticed.

"He, apparently, knows a lot more about me than he cared to share," Emma huffed and began pacing in front of Regina. The older woman waited until Emma stopped her pacing and watched uncertainly as Emma looked pained and confused. The blonde closed her eyes and exhaled. "He knows Henry's dad."

"What?" Regina demanded with wide eyes, politeness completely thrown out the window.

"He's here."

Words escaped the usually quick-witted woman. Instead, she stared blankly at Emma before finding her voice. "You mean, he's here?"

Emma nodded, pressing a palm to her forehead in an attempt to keep the imminent headache at bay. "In Storybrooke. I went to go see what August wanted, and when I got to Granny's, there he was with him."

"What did you say?" Regina questioned.

"Nothing," Emma admitted. "As soon as I saw him I left."

Regina nodded before an idea came to fruition. "Invite him over."

Emma did a double take. "I'm sorry?"

"You heard me. Invite him over."

"Why?" Emma looked at Regina like she was crazy, which currently, she was.

"Dear, I've been the Mayor for twenty-eight years. If there's one thing I know how to do, it's work people," Regina grinned with a politician's smile. "We'll meet with him on our terms."

"We will?" Emma's dumbfounded grin appeared on her face.

"Yes. _We_ will."

\---

Regina was just as nervous and agitated as Emma was. While the blonde fidgeted with the hem of her shirt fighting the urge for a drink - she needed to remain as sober as possible for this exchange - Regina sat poised and calm despite the frantic 'what ifs' running through her mind.

It was only yesterday Regina had proposed the idea of inviting the other half of Henry's gene pool over to discuss some things, and simply by watching the range of emotions Emma was currently employing, shifting from nervousness to anger to anxiousness, did she begin to doubt herself.

But she had to make sure. She had to be sure that this man wasn't here to take away the only two things that brought her any happiness.

The knock on the door jarred the couple from their thoughts. Catching the other's eyes briefly, Regina stood, straightened her slacks and made her way to the door.

The man standing on the other side of the door gave her a dumbfounded look as if lost. "Sorry, does Emma Swan live here?"

"Yes," Regina said finding no need to clarify the situation. She extended her hand professionally. "Regina Mills."

"Neal Cassidy." He shook the proffered hand, surprised at the strength the woman had behind it.

Regina gave a curt smile, mentally sizing up the man before her. He was well-dressed, she'd give him that. Wearing a pressed white dress shirt, grey slacks and leather loafers, he looked like a worthy adversary if it weren't for his lack of haircut and the scruff on his jaw. There was a crinkle to his eyes when he smiled that reminded the brunette so much of Henry. The reality of the situation struck Regina hard. She inclined her head motioning for the man to follow.

"Emma lives here?" He asked, looking up at the vast ceilings and rooms so pristine they looked like they came out of a catalogue.

"Yes," Emma answered from the parlor, leaning against the frame of the entrance with her arms crossed.

Regina made her way to stand beside the blonde. She watched Neal carefully when he smiled, soaking in what the past ten years had done to the woman before him. It unnerved her to no end.

"Emma," Neal grinned, stepping towards her. "You look. . .wow."

Emma uncrossed her arms. "You look wow? That's what you have to say for yourself."

Regina smirked proud at Emma's tone which caused the grin to be wiped off the man's face in an instant.

"You left me to take the wrap for you so you can go off and escape to Canada and live your perfect happy life!" Emma yelled, advancing with each step. "Was that your plan all along? String along a stupid 17-year old girl and leave her waiting for you like an idiot?"

"No, that wasn't it," Neal said exasperated, holding Emma's arms as if to make her understand.

She ripped herself out of his grasp and pushed him away. "That's exactly what you did. I was alone, in jail, and I was pregnant."

The words left Emma's mouth before she had the sense of mind to hold onto them. She hadn't meant to reveal that bit of information until she knew for sure what Neal was up to.

The news made him freeze. "What? You were- we were gonna have a baby?" He stepped closer, his hands stretching out to Emma's stomach as if she was still carrying.

Emma stepped away from him, closer to Regina. "No. _We_ weren't."

Regina could see the blonde shaking. The tell-tale sign of her clutching her arms around herself and profusely shaking her head had Regina stepping forward to clutch Emma's arm reassuringly.

Neal looked to Regina and asked as polite as possible. "Can you give us a minute?"

Regina opened her mouth to scoff at him when Emma turned. Her eyes were sad and pleading. "Please?"

The brunette searched Emma's eyes for any sign of reluctance, but all she saw was a desperate cry for a moment alone. Regina nodded minutely, squeezing Emma's palms in her hands and briefly contemplated kissing the blonde just to prove to this Neal Cassidy that Emma was already spoken for, but instead she gave a quick glare to the man and headed upstairs.

"Who's she?" Neal asked, following Emma into the parlor where she sat on the furthest possible couch.

"Regina. She's. . ." the title died on Emma's lips. Despite being together for a month, Emma and Regina hadn't talked about their relationship status. They basically lived together as girlfriends, raised Henry together as mothers, but she wasn't sure if Regina was ready to call themselves an exclusive couple regardless of the entire town knowing of their relationship.

Neal's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh. It really has been a long time, huh?"

Emma rolled her eyes, pulling her legs to her chest.

"So this kid," Neal began.

"Henry," Emma corrected.

"Henry?" Neal asked.

"Regina named him after her father," Emma explained.

Neal furrowed his brow in confusion.

"It's complicated," Emma dismissed with a wave of her hand. "What are you doing here?"

"I know," Neal said, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "I know about everything." He extended his arms in a shrug. "Well almost everything."

"What are you talking about?"

"The curse, Emma," Neal explained. "Magic."

Emma gaped at her ex-boyfriend.

"Listen," Neal spoke softly, getting up from his chair to sit at the other end of Emma's couch. "I had to leave you back then. If I didn't, you wouldn't have come here and you wouldn't have broken the curse. It was your destiny."

"You _had_ to?" Emma scoffed. "You had to control my life and dictate how I'd end up. I gave birth in a jail cell, Neal."

He ran his hand through his hair and looked to the ground. His biggest regret in leaving Emma felt heavier on his shoulders just imagining what she had gone through for the past ten years. He looked up and spoke, his voice raspy and hesitant. "I never stopped loving you."

"Don't." Emma stood abruptly. "You do not get to come waltzing back into my life like nothing's changed."

Neal watched as she stomped over to the front door and held it open for him. He sighed and walked over. Lingering by Emma in the open doorway, he dared to put his palm against her cheek but wasn't surprised when she moved it away. "Call me? Just to talk or whatever. I really want to catch up. And meet Henry."

Emma made a noise of acknowledgment before shutting the door on her past.

\---

Neal shoved his hands in his pockets as he walked down the sidewalk and away from the mansion. He sighed and watched his footsteps, millions of questions running through his mind. _Emma plays for the other team now? We have a son? Is she happier?_

The questions rotated in his mind when he heard a crash and a yelp. He looked up, running towards a boy toppled over by his bike.

"Hey, kid," Neal said and lifted the bike off of him. "You all right? That was a bad fall there, bud. What's your name?"

The boy looked up at him with familiar brown eyes. "Henry."

\---

Every Wednesday, Regina and Emma would meet Henry at Granny's diner for dinner. Snow insisted that they be in public because who knew what kind of spell the brunette would put on the Savior and her son.

This particular Wednesday, Emma and Regina needed to get out of the house. Emma knew Regina wasn't happy that she had sent her away in order to talk privately with Neal, and Regina knew Emma was still shaken up by his arrival. So as soon as the couple had calmed to the best of their abilities, they left the mansion and walked towards the diner.

They waited a good fifteen minutes for their son to arrive. He had been spending so much time at the stables that sometimes time escaped him. While it unnerved Regina whenever Henry was late, she had to admit that she was quite proud of the fact that she and Henry shared a passion together. They'd discuss horses for hours on end whenever they were lucky enough to get time or phone calls together, and it lightened Regina's heart to know that this was the one thing Henry could come to her for.

The couple sat in their usual booth waiting for the pre-teen when the familiar ding of the door opening caught their attention. Henry immediately found his mothers and walked over to them as if being late was a natural occurrence. They, however, took in his scraped knees and bandaged hands with parted lips.

"Dear, God, what happened to you?" Regina asked, pushing against Emma to be let out of the booth. She bent in front of her son and inspected his shallow abrasions.

"The other guy better be worse," Emma said in an attempt not to coddle him.

Regina glared at her joke.

"I fell off my bike," Henry explained. "I'm okay though. Neal helped me."

Both women halted their movements at the name.

"Neal?" Emma asked cautiously.

As if on cue, the man in question entered the diner. His once pristine dress shirt was ripped at the cuffs, and it was then Emma noticed the bandages wrapped around Henry's hand were once part of the man's shirt. Neal walked up to the family, his hands already up in a sign of peace. "I saw him fall. Thought I could help."

Regina straightened and held her son against her. Henry didn't need to look up to know his brunette mother was glaring at the man. "Thank you for the help, Mr. Cassidy. I'll be sure to reimburse you for your shirt."

Neal grinned and ruffled Henry's hair. "Don't worry about it. It's just a shirt."

Emma stepped forward, putting herself between her past and her present. "Whatever you told him, you do not get a right to him."

"Tell me what?" Henry piped up from Regina's grasp.

All the adults looked at the young boy, his eyes confused and inquisitive. Neal took a knee in front of the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm your father."


	2. Chapter 2

Before Neal could process anything, he felt himself being lifted off from his kneeling position and pressed against a wall with Emma's forearm pinned firmly against his throat. He mentally smirked at the riled up blonde before him. He always knew never to get on her bad side, but the fire in her eyes brought a flood of memories of better times.

The diner quieted at the sudden act their Sheriff was exhibiting on the stranger. Naturally, they all watched.

"I told you to stay away from him," Emma hissed.

Effortless, Neal pushed the blonde off of him and adjusted his shirt. "You didn't actually."

Neal watched as Emma's eyes flashed with recognition at his words. The momentary look was replaced when she scowled and stepped forward. "I'm telling you now."

Emma turned back to the brunette and their – _his_ – son, whose face was pale and shell-shocked, before leading them away and out the back door.

\---

The walk back to Mary Margaret's apartment was unnervingly quiet. Henry was a few paces ahead, walking beside his chainless bike. Like Regina, he had adopted a rigid posture whenever he was deep in thought. The hunch of his back showed how he regarded his feet when he walked, letting the quiet, rhythmic motion lull him deeper and deeper into the recesses of his mind.

"He's quiet," Emma said, fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket.

"Yes," Regina noticed.

"What should we do?" Emma asked quietly.

Regina took Emma's fidgety hand in hers. "Let him come to you."

"Did that ever work for you?"

The brunette nodded. "When he saw I gave up magic."

Emma attempted her best smile, still proud of the fact that Regina was putting in so much effort in order to be better for Henry, but the disturbance of Neal shook her to the core.

The family finally arrived at the apartment where Henry was already locking up his bike to a bench out front. Emma shifted awkwardly by her son, wondering what to say. She was more than a little miffed when Henry brushed past her to give Regina a hug and made his way inside.

Emma shared a brief confused look with Regina before calling out to him. "Uh, Henry?"

He turned, his face clearly displeased and filled with the attitude of a pre-teen.

"Don't you want to talk?" Emma asked.

"Why? So you can lie to me again?"

"Henry," Regina scolded.

Emma pressed a hand to Regina's shoulder signalling that she had this. Walking over to her sulking son, she bent over to level with him. "I did it to protect you."

"You did it because you didn't think you'd get caught," Henry pointed out.

The truth made Emma straighten and she hoped Regina would step in to save the day. She didn't think she'd get caught. She didn't think Neal knew August and would show up to ruin everything either.

"Henry," Regina's soothing motherly tone sounded as she stepped forward to place a hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes parents lie because the truth is far more hurtful."

He stared at her with an are-you-kidding-me look. Refraining from rolling his eyes and pointing out her obvious and biggest lie, he simply nodded once and turned to run into the building.

The brunette sighed and turned to face Emma, who held out her hand for Regina to take. "So much for him being over the whole Evil Queen thing."

"I'll talk to him," she promised.

"Talk to him now," Regina ordered firmly. "I am capable of walking myself home."

Emma gave an appreciative smile before leaning into to meet Regina's lips with hers.

\---

Emma found Henry slumped on the couch aimlessly surfing through the channels. She looked around quickly and determined that her parents weren't home. This wasn't a conversation she wanted them to eavesdrop on. Judging by how they felt about Regina, they'd all but betroth Emma to her ex-boyfriend, giving them their blessing and an over-the-top wedding to boot.

She leaned over the back of the couch, her head close to her son's. "Hey."

He turned, physically giving her a cold shoulder.

Not quite used to affectionate parent-child talks, even with her own parents, Emma resorted to what she hoped would ease the kid's tension. Poking.

At first it was a jab to his cheek, then a tap on his opposite shoulder so he'd turn his head into her awaiting finger. The smirk he kept at bay made the blonde more persistent and soon her annoying little jabs turned into full on tickling.

Henry laughed when she found his ticklish spot under his arm by his ribs. His feet kicked wildly in the air, begging her to stop. It wasn't until she hopped over the back of the couch by her son did she adhere to his plea.

Emma faced her body towards him, her arm crooked on the back of the couch supporting her head, with Henry nestled in the corner attempting to regain his breath.

"Still mad?" Emma asked.

Henry looked up at her from under his lashes. "Why did you have to lie?"

Emma sighed and scooched closer. "I didn't leave off on the best terms with him. He- we got into some trouble and next thing I know I'm in jail and pregnant.

"That doesn't mean I love you any less," she said and tilted Henry's chin up to meet her gaze. "I wanted to give you a hero. Someone to look up to."

"What's wrong with him?" Henry asked with the innocence of a child.

"He's no hero, kid."

"Why not?"

The blonde groaned internally. Why did the kid have to be so damn curious?

"Can't I talk to him?" Henry asked with a slight pout.

"Your mom and I said no," Emma said firmly.

"But he's my dad!" He argued. "You've wanted to know your parents your whole life, Emma. You got them back. Can't I just talk to him?"

\---

"You did what?"

Emma winced at Regina's tone as she ceased the chopping of vegetables to glare at her.

"He gave me this sad face and he made a valid point about parents," Emma explained with wild hand gestures as if to prove her point.

The brunette gave her a look that needed no words. Emma was _weak_.

"Look, he's with Neal now at Granny's with Ruby as my spy," the Sheriff said and moved to wrap her arms around Regina from behind, who began furiously chopping at the parsley. "Neal may not have been the best boyfriend, but I trust he'll be good with our son."

Regina's body relaxed considerably under the blonde's hold, but she still held the knife firmly in her grasp. "If he so much as thinks about taking our son-"

"Then you can get in the ass-kicking line behind me," Emma said cutting her off. She ended her statement with a kiss to the former Mayor's neck, grinning internally that she delivered the news relatively unscathed.

\---

"So what do you do for fun?" Neal asked as he rolled up his sleeves and dug into his burger and fries.

"Riding, school, riding again," Henry answered, taking a large bite in his grilled cheese.

Neal was surprised Emma had actually agreed on unsupervised time alone with Henry. He thought for sure she'd lock the kid up somewhere and not let him out until he left. But Emma was full of surprises. It's what he loved about her.

"Riding?"

"Yeah," Henry grinned suddenly excited. "My gramps got me a horse."

"Wow," Neal nodded impressed. "My grandpa gave me a wagon."

Henry laughed. "Things are different here."

"Don't I know it," the man said and leaned forward. "But you know what's not different here?"

"What?" Henry asked, mimicking Neal's posture.

"Playing catch with your old man." He set two brand new gloves on the table and tossed a baseball to the ten-year old with a grin. "What do you say?"

\---

Emma checked her watch for the fifth time while waiting at the diner's patio. She was supposed to pick up Henry from here at 5 o'clock sharp, and it was now 5:03. God, sleeping with Regina sure did have its effect on her. The sound of laughter made her look up, and she was pleased to see Henry in one piece with a smile on his face. He was throwing a ball a couple inches in the air and catching it in a glove.

"Hey Emma!" Henry grinned when he saw her. "Look what Neal gave me."

The blonde eyed the man quickly before turning her attention to her son. "Cool. Didn't know you were into sports."

"It's fun," Henry smiled, looking up at his father.

"Kid's a natural," said Neal, ruffling the kid's hair. "Just gotta work on that arm though, right?"

Henry grinned pleased at the contact. "Can Neal come over for dinner?"

"No," the blonde answered automatically.

"But _Emma_!" Henry complained, drawing out the last syllable of her name. "Isn't it better if both you and Mom are there?"

"Yeah, _Emma_ ," Neal mimicked the way Henry said her name. "You can chaperone."

She glared at the man before taking Henry by the shoulders and steeling him to her bug.

"Nice car," Neal called out to her after shutting Henry's passenger side door.

She put her hands on her hips and hardened her jaw, a sign of contemplation before stalking over to him. "One dinner. Then that's it."

"You can't tell me I can't see my son," Neal chuckled and pointed out.

If Emma wasn't so furious about his presence she would have found it ironic that only half a year ago Emma was in the exact same position as Neal with Regina constantly trying to get her to leave town. As it was, all she saw before her was the man who broke her heart and the thought of the woman who put it back together waiting for her at home.

She relaxed her position but the watchfulness in her eyes never ceased. "One dinner for now."

He grinned showing his dimples at having broken down the blonde. "I knew you'd give in."

She rolled her eyes and turned, getting into her car and driving away.

\---

"Why do I leave you alone?" Regina asked annoyed while on the phone with Emma. She was changing into her night shift and fluffing out her hair.

"Maybe if we give him what he wants, he'll go away." Emma was lying on her side on her bed with the phone sitting against her ear. She was secretly relieved that she had to stay the night at Mary Margaret's apartment so that she and the younger brunette could bond bright and early the next morning on their weakly forest hikes. Breaking the news to Regina that she invited Neal over for a dinner was significantly easier to do over the phone than to her face.

"What he wants is Henry," Regina reminded her.

"He doesn't stay," the blonde argued. "Once he gets some time with him and see that we don't need him, he'll leave."

"Sounds familiar, doesn't it, Sheriff?"

Emma stifled her chuckle. "You know I love it when you call me that." The blonde didn't need to see Regina to know that she was rolling her eyes. She lowered her voice to a husky tone. "Can I entice you to consider letting him stay for dinner?"

This time Regina actually laughed. "We'll talk tomorrow. Good night, Miss Swan."

"I'm sleeping on the couch when I come over, aren't I?"

Regina's answer came in the form of a dial tone.

\---

Henry grinned wide when Emma told him that Neal would be able to come over for dinner two nights later. When he asked how she convinced his mom, the blonde's cheeks reddened and the hint of a smirk appeared on her face before she replied with a non-committal shrug. Regardless of how his brunette mother was persuaded, Henry was ecstatic at the chance of having a complete family dinner for the first time in his life.

He had always imagined what it would be like to have a father. For the past ten Father's Days, his mother would take him to her father's tomb where he would lay flowers down and leave a hand-made card on the casket. He'd never admit it, but he always wanted a father to teach him how to catch, teach him how to fight, and to generally goof off around. The closest thing he ever had to a male figure was Graham, and after him, Emma easily filled his place as father-like figure.

But now he had a real dad. One who wanted to play catch with him and goof off around. He loved his moms, that was true, but having a dad to turn to with problems a mom couldn't handle was something the boy yearned for.

The knock on the mayoral mansion had him running from his old room and down the stairs in record speed.

\---

Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's waist, slowly testing whether she was still moderately mad at her. "It'll be fine."

The brunette placed the fourth plate setting on the table and turned in her lover's arms. "One dinner?"

"One dinner."

Regina's lip tilted in an accepting smile before Emma leaned down to kiss her sweetly.

"Whoops," Neal said from the entrance of the dining room, his hand covering Henry's eyes. "I must be early."

The women pulled apart, Regina more embarrassed at being caught in a compromising position than annoyed at the man who interrupted them, Emma just annoyed. Neal grinned between the two ladies before him. "It's that kind of party, huh?"

Henry pulled the large hand covering his eyes away from his face. "They always do that. They think no one sees."

"Henry!" Regina's face flushed embarrassed.

"Mmmmm," Neal sniffed the air, "what smells good?"

"Mom's meatloaf," Henry answered and tugged him to sit at one head of the table. Regina had retreated into the kitchen to retrieve the dish with Emma following with glasses.

Taking the opposite head of the table, Emma sat and took a breath in preparation for the evening.

\---

Dinner began as an awkward affair with Henry filling in the gaps of silence. Ever the diplomat, Regina bit the bullet and engaged Neal in conversation about what his field of work and basic pleasantries. On the surface, it looked as if the former Mayor was being polite. In reality, she was sizing up the man and determining whether he was adequate and stable enough to remain a part in her son's life.

The conversation became relaxed after that. With Henry talking constantly about any and everything, Emma and Neal continued to produce conversation with him while Regina sat and observed with a careful eye. She was extra vigilant when conversation turned away from Henry and Neal and Emma began talking directly to each other.

"I can't believe the kid has a horse," Neal laughed then turned to Emma. "I bet you didn't get one."

"Why would you think that?" Emma asked feigning offence.

"I've seen you on a mechanical bull, and sweetheart, it wasn't pretty." Both Neal and Emma burst out laughing.

"That is not fair. That bull was broken or something," the blonde argued.

"Oh right," the man nodded exaggeratedly, "lasting less than two seconds on it means it must be broken."

Emma playfully scowled.

Regina had had enough. She and Emma were supposed to be united against the man, not reveling in things past. She stood abruptly and picked up her plate. With a curt tone, she said, "I'll clear the table. Miss Swan, why don't you show our guest to the parlor?"

Leaving it at that, the brunette woman left with the table's dishes.

"Miss Swan?" Neal smirked at Emma.

"Mom calls her that whenever she's mad at her, like a nickname," Henry explained. "Come on, want to see my comics?"

Without waiting for an answer, Henry sprinted from the room. Neal stood as Emma did, following the blonde to the parlor. "Miss Swan huh? Kinky."

"Shut up."

\---

"Oh hey."

"What?" Emma asked as they were seated on the couch with a glass of cider.

Neal closed the gap between them by moving closer and leaned in close to toy with the swan necklace nestled on her neck.

"You still have it." His eyes met hers meaningfully for a long second.

"Ahem."

Emma looked up and stood. "Regina."

The brunette gave her a look that signified they'd be talking later on that was quickly replaced with her politician's smile as she made her way into the room. "I'm glad to see Miss Swan had the knowledge to pour you a drink."

"She's a smart girl." Neal raised his glass in a toasting motion.

"I'm aware."

"Okay," said Emma, drawing out the syllables in the word to ease the tension that was oozing out of her lover. "Where's Henry and those comics?"

As if on cue, the boy came rushing down with a large binder filled with his favourites. The rest of the evening was spent with Regina fuming silently in her chair while Neal was hunched over the books with Henry and Emma sitting in between the two adults ready to diffuse any bombs.

An hour later, Emma stood and tugged on her son. "Come on kid, I gotta get you back."

"You guys don't live here?" Neal asked confused.

"You ask a lot of questions," dismissed Emma before everyone stood to gather in the foyer.

"We live with my grandparents," explained Henry. "But I know Emma sneaks out to see-"

The blonde laughed covering her chatty son's mouth. "Go wait in the car."

Before complying, Henry ran to hug Regina around her middle and tilted his face up to receive a kiss and a good night then was out of the door.

"We should do this again sometime," Neal said donning his jacket.

Regina smiled politely. "Not on your life."

She stayed for a second to revel in the man's halted movements and shocked face before turning and marching her way up the stairs.

"Sorry," Emma offered on Regina's behalf knowing full well the brunette was not.

"It's fine." Neal waved off.

Throwing a fleeting look up the stairs where the brunette was last spotted, Emma held the door for him and followed him out of the house.

\---

They were quiet walking down the path. As Emma was about to turn to head towards the driveway where Henry was waiting in her bug, she felt a tug on her arm.

"Can we talk?" Neal asked seriously, his face burdened.

Emma immediately became uncomfortable.

"Or I talk. You listen," he began. "I didn't con you or anything. I mean, I did, but I had to."

"You've said." Emma crossed her arms, unamused at the conversation.

"I was on my way to hawk the watches when August showed up-"

"Wait, what?"

"He said you had a destiny, and if you stayed with me, we'd be off in Tallahassee and this town would still be cursed."

"I'm gonna kill August," she mumbled and wrung her hands.

"It wasn't easy for me to do that, Emma." He put a hand on her shoulder. "If there was any other way-"

She put a hand on his chest to push some distance between them. With an understanding nod, she said, "I know."

\---

Emma knocked on Regina's bedroom door that night, wondering if the brunette would be furious with her. She dipped her head in cautiously, a nervous smile on her face.

The lights were out in the room, but Emma knew Regina was awake despite her position in bed, on her side with her back to the door.

Sighing, the blonde stepped in, shut the door, and shed her jacket on the way to the bed. She slipped in but didn't move to curl around the older woman. Instead she leaned up on her elbow a few centimeters away from her and waited. She needn't wait long when her lover turned with a displeased look on her face.

Emma didn't ask what was wrong. She already knew. She could tell halfway through the dinner when she began interacting with Neal in a friendly manner than the agreed upon curt pleasantries.

Regina felt threatened, Emma knew. Months ago, a threatened Regina would react with verbal insults and manipulation, but ever since her path to redemption, a threatened Regina meant cold shoulders and silent treatments.

Emma's eyes softened at the glaring woman before her. She slowly reached out and brushed a stray hair from the brunette's face. The fact that Regina didn't turn from her meant that she was open to listening.

Angry brown eyes eventually conceded under the pleading look of green ones. With a sigh, Regina inched closer to the blonde ever so subtly, grabbing the younger woman's hand and easing it onto her hip.

Emma smiled at the gesture. To the untrained eye it would seem as if the former Mayor was initiating an act of intimacy, but Emma knew Regina placed her hand on Regina's hip as a sign of possession.

Emma removed her hand from the brunette's hip and weaved their fingers together, inching closer so that their bodies were finally touching.

When she spoke it was in the barest of whispers. "When I was twelve I poured my foster dad's vodka down the sink and filled it with water. I got sent away 'cause he found out."

"I once purposely stomped on Mother's prized geraniums," replied Regina easily.

It was a game the couple picked up in the early stages of their relationship. Anyone in town could identify them as the two most secretive and private people in Storybrooke, but to get over the first hesitance of trust in the beginning, they began sharing little secrets about themselves. Taking turns, they'd reveal information about stunts they'd done in the past and their innermost thoughts.

For Regina, it made her feel all the more connected to the blonde. She'd found out about the details of Emma's juvie record, past boyfriends and girlfriends, while Emma discovered her straight and narrow Mayor was quite the rebel in her youth and a bit of a tomboy.

It was moments like these that made them forget the fights, and the arguments, and the constant bickering. It made them realize that they were human. Misunderstood humans .

"There's a harbor by my old apartment in Boston. I used to sit there late at night, sometimes till the sun came up," confessed the blonde. The tilt of Regina's head had Emma answering the question before it came out. "I was just lonely, you know?"

Loneliness was something both women were experts in. The need to come home to someone was a very old human desire indeed.

Regina nodded and pecked Emma quickly. "I still don't like him."

Emma grinned. "I'd be worried if you did."

\---

As the days went by, Neal had become a recurring figure in Henry's life, and by extension, Emma and Regina's. Emma, the weak one as Regina so lovingly put it, was more lenient about the man's presence, while Regina loathed his very existence. When confronted about it, Regina discovered that Emma was only tolerant because she felt like a hypocrite keeping their son away from his father when he was so persistent in helping Emma find hers.

Another family dinner, as Henry liked to call them, hadn't occurred again, but the boy was taken with his father. He'd brag about him to his mothers endlessly as if he acquired a new toy. It annoyed Regina to no end.

What was once days turned into weeks, and it made Regina nervous to see that Neal was getting comfortable in their quaint little town. Her blood was boiling with the thought that Neal would even think about fighting for custody of Henry, but it made her heart break to think maybe, just maybe, he was attempting to reunite his family that should have been whole ten years ago.

Thoughts like these continued to fill the brunette's mind as she strolled up and down the grocery store, basket in hand. The sudden impact of bumping into someone from turning a corner took over her attention.

She scowled at the imbecile. "Watch where you're-" She paused and glared at the man she bumped into.

"Regina," Neal grinned and picked up a box of pasta that fell from her basket. "Making spaghetti?"

"It's Miss Mills," she answered curtly.

He chuckled and leaned against a shelving unit, uncaring of her harsh attitude. "You don't like me, do you?"

"Mr. Cassidy, I've come to acknowledge the fact that my son wants a male figure in his life, but I am not interested in becoming friends with you," she replied with a sneer brushing past him.

"I'm sure you said that to Em too," he called after her. "Look where that got you."

Regina stopped and turned slowly, her glare deadly. "What exactly are you insinuating, Mr. Cassidy?"

"I'm just saying to give me a chance," he replied obviously. "You may come to like me."

"The only thing I could even possibly like about you is the fact that you are one half of Henry's DNA."

Neal studied the woman in front of him before responding. "I don't get it." Regina refrained from rolling her eyes, but the man continued. "I don't get what Emma sees in you."

Regina was taken aback by the comment, her unspoken fear of Emma's abandonment surfacing.

"You know, I waited for her," Neal began moving away from the shelves and closer to the brunette. "I waited ten years for her to do what she needed to do so that I can find her and make things right again. I gotta say, I wasn't expecting you."

Regina pursed her lips and stepped into the man's personal space. "If you haven't noticed, dear, Emma is completely over you. She no longer needs you in her life, and Henry has grown up perfectly fine without a father."

He laughed once, his eyes twinkling with knowledge. "Is that why she still has that beaten up bug?" He grinned inwardly seeing the brunette's eyes flash in confusion. "Did you ever wonder where she got that necklace? It was off a keychain I got for her back in Phoenix." This time Neal stepped even closer, assuming the intimidating position. "If she's over me why does she still have stuff reminding her of me every day?"

Regina's eyes flashed with anger and something more. Moving away from her, Neal dropped her box of pasta back in her basket with a smirk and headed towards the registers leaving a disgruntled and fuming Regina in his wake.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma placed a kiss on the back of Regina's shoulder. She trailed her lips up her neck as her hands tangled with the brunette's and wrapped securely around her middle. "Come on. Tell me what's wrong."

Emma had noticed Regina had been tense for a couple of days, and despite her best efforts, the blonde hadn't been able to coax it out of her.

Regina spun in Emma's arms, her hands coming up to instinctively rest against Emma's shoulders before leaning up to kiss her gently and offer up a forced smile. "It's nothing."

Emma pursed her lips but didn't question any further. "Do you want help with dinner?"

The brunette smirked and turned to head back into the kitchen. "I wouldn't want another chicken disaster."

"I wouldn't have burned it if someone hadn't been distracting me," Emma pointed out following the brunette.

Regina donned her apron as she inspected her lasagna. "Just a couple more minutes."

Emma grinned and tugged the brunette to her, her arms wrapping around her waist. She nipped at Regina's neck, chuckling at the small moan she received. "We have a few minutes, huh?"

"I hope you enjoy burnt lasagna," Regina muttered before lifting the blonde's head and capturing her lips.

Emma responded eagerly as she pressed the former Mayor against the island counter.

The incessant vibrating of the Sheriff's phone sounded against the brunette's hip causing her eyes to open at the annoyance. She momentarily shuddered when Emma placed her mouth at the lobe of her ear and said breathily, "Ignore it."

Regina nodded before invading the blonde's mouth again. She groaned and pushed Emma away when the vibration started up again, only this time accompanied by the beeping of the oven. Huffing and pushing passed the disgruntled and gaping blonde, she spoke with a harsh tone. "Just answer it."

Emma scowled at her phone before stealing a glance at Regina's ass as she bent to retrieve the dish. She flicked on her phone prepared to give the person on the other line a piece of her mind. "Yeah?"

"Emma!" Charming's voice boomed happily. The blonde couldn't stop the slight smile from appearing on her face. Despite having been in the Enchanted Forest with Mary Margaret for a month, she found that she enjoyed spending time with her pauper-turned-prince father. Perhaps it was because he was the most accepting of Regina, having spent a month watching her try to redeem herself, but she grew to appreciate the man. "Hey David."

"Are you with Regina?"

"Good guess."

David took a moment as if weighing his options. Finally he spoke again. "Come over for dinner. Bring Regina."

Emma halted her movements of getting wine glasses, wondering if she heard correctly. "Seriously?" She could hear Mary Margaret's voice on the other end scolding David for his invitation.

The couple bickered for a moment before a door slamming was heard. "Yes. Bring her. We'll see you in an hour."

Emma stared dumbstruck at her phone with her brows furrowed.

"What is it?" Regina asked, taking the glasses from her.

"It was David," Emma answered.

"What did he get you to do this time?" Regina smirked at Emma's confused face. "You're secretly Daddy's Little Girl." Emma raised a questioning eyebrow. "I'm observant."

"Yeah, well, he wants us over for dinner tonight," Emma said shaking her head at Regina's analysis.

"'Us'?" Regina asked, her playful confidence dwindling at the realization. "They want me over for dinner?"

"Yeah," the blonde nodded. She took one of Regina's hands in both of hers. "What do you say? Want to meet my parents?"

Regina's expression blanked and she extracted herself from her lover's grasp. "Perhaps another time."

"Hey," Emma tugged her worriedly. "We don't have to go."

"You do," Regina said meaningfully. "You've been separated from them for far too long."

"Then come."

Regina gave Emma a pleading look, silently telling her not to push. Emma sighed but kissed her forehead. "Save me some of that when I get back?"

In an instant Regina's vulnerable eyes turned predatory. "The pasta or me?"

\---

Mary Margaret opened the door with a contempt smile before noticing that her daughter was alone. She grinned, "Emma, you're right on time."

Stepping in, she shrugged off her Sheriff's jacket and tossed it on the back of a chair. "Regina couldn't make it."

"Oh, that's too bad," her mother responded politely conveying no sense of loss.

"Emma," David beamed upon seeing his daughter and engulfed her in a hug. "It's nice to see you other than hearing you scale down the fire escape."

She rolled her eyes playfully before taking a seat at the table. "Where's Hen-" She stopped mid-sentence when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey Emma," Neal grinned coming down the stairs with Henry close on his heels.

Emma groaned and dropped her head in her hands. "What are you doing here?"

Neal clasped David on the shoulder. "Your parents invited me."

Emma glared at David and Mary Margaret with absolute betrayal. She never disclosed what occurred between her and Neal to her parents, and right now she was sorely wishing she had. She'd been tolerating the man's presence, but when he managed to always bump into her and when her son raved about him constantly, it was beginning to get old.

Making sure Henry was out of earshot, she looked up at David, hoping to pull one final card. "You invited the man who had sex with your seventeen year old daughter and left her to have a baby in jail?"

Emma smirked internally at David's floundered expression before Mary Margaret spoke with a grimace. "He told us what happened. Just not as eloquently as you put it."

Neal sat down beside Emma resting his head against his crooked arm. "Have you been avoiding me?"

"How kind of you to notice," Emma replied smartly.

Henry sat down opposite his parents and put a graphic novel down in front of his mother. "Look what Neal got me."

Emma picked up the book and eyed the cover. " _The Runaways_?"

Henry looked up quickly when David ruffled his hair and sat at the head of the table where Mary Margaret sat in between her grandson and husband before continuing. "Yeah, it's about these teen heroes who have to save the world from their evil parents."

Emma looked up at the description then raised her eyebrow at Neal. He smirked. "Sound familiar?"

"What are you implying?" Emma asked offended.

"Bad boys were always your thing, weren't they?" He asked leaning in close.

"Judging from the fact that you were my last serious relationship and I'm now with a woman, I'd say bad boys didn't work out for me," Emma replied mimicking Neal's movement.

David's eyes widened at the turn of conversation and leaned over to Henry. "Go upstairs and wash up."

"I already-"

"Go."

The boy begrudgingly pushed back from the table, unbeknownst to his bickering parents.

"What, are you saying I turned you towards women?" It was Neal's turn to be offended.

The blonde merely shrugged with a superior smug, clearly enjoying ruffling the man's feathers.

"Maybe no other guy could amount to me, ever think about that?" His face was mere inches away from the Sheriff's.

The genetically older couple at the table stared confused at their interaction. It oddly reminded them of a certain Sheriff and former Mayor.

"No," Emma smirked triumphantly. "I just have higher standards now."

"Okay!" Mary Margaret chimed in and shoved a bowl under Emma's nose. "Corn?"

"Mmmm," Neal swallowed the large bite of roast beef and nodded in Mary Margaret's direction. "Best roast beef I've ever had."

"Well I'm glad someone likes it," the young brunette eyed her husband knowingly who chuckled and laugh. "I just prefer when you make that pasta."

"I bet it's all good," the young man charmed.

Mary Margaret put a flattered hand to her chest. "Thank you, Neal."

Emma gave the woman a you're-supposed-to-be-hating-him look, which her mother attempted to give upon realization. Bless Mary Margaret, she was anything but subtle.

"So how did you two meet?" Henry piped up from playing with his vegetables.

All eyes turned toward Emma and Neal. Emma groaned internally not wanting to share this with her son. She assumed Neal told her parents a biased version of how they separated, but she doubted they knew how she met the older man.

She and Neal caught each other's glances wondering if the other would divulge the information of their not-so-lawful past.

"I was-"

"Buying a car off of me." Neal filled in for the blonde. He grinned when she looked at him confused but grateful. "Yeah, she was taking the bug off my hands."

"That car is yours?" Mary Margaret asked with curious eyes. She added as an afterthought to herself, "I can hardly believe it's still running after ten years."

Neal leaned back with a chuckle and placed an arm on the back of Emma's chair. He was pleased to note she didn't move away as he expected her to. "Emma must be taking good care of it."

She turned her head to sigh exasperated at the man.

"Cool, it kind of runs in the family," Henry said with a grin.

"You know the ring I gave your mother used to belong to mine. She said True Love always finds that ring," Charming shared taking his wife's hand and kissing it.

Mary Margaret beamed before turning to Emma. "When you get married it'll be yours."

"Woah, easy on the marriage talk," Emma said dryly. "We were just talking about my car."

"Will you teach me how to drive it?" Henry asked his mother.

"You know my dad taught me how to drive," Neal piped in.

"Will the car last that long?" David asked to no one in particular.

Emma shrugged off everyone's comments and leaned towards her kid. "When you turn sixteen, I'll let you drive the bug."

Neal grinned purposely scooting closer and closer to Emma until it looked as if his arm was completely around her. "It's like a family tradition to see who gets stuck with it next."

The blonde looked over at the man and blatantly shifted her chair away.

 

\---

The tide of conversation turned when David and Henry managed to sweep Neal into the details of horses. With a look to her former roommate, Emma stood and gathered the empty dishes with Mary Margaret and headed to the sink where they spoke in hushed tones.

"I like him," the young brunette decided.

"Nuh uh, no way," Emma shook her head in disbelief. "You are not allowed to like him."

"He's charming and despite your need to fight with him, I can see you like him too," Mary Margaret said as she soaped the dishes.

"What?" Emma screeched. She winced when the men stopped their conversation to look. She turned back to her mother and spoke more quietly. "What?"

"I think," Mary Margaret said coyly, "that you have a crush."

Emma rolled her eyes. "If this is your attempt to break up me and Regina it's not working."

Emma could see Mary Margaret was disgruntled by this information but disavowed any knowledge of doing just that. "I just noticed he seems to have your best interests in mind. Plus, he's fantastic with Henry."

"He also broke my heart, Mom," Emma said quietly using the title meaningfully. It wasn't often she named her parents as such, only in times of intense emotion.

The young brunette sighed and took the dish Emma had been drying and set it on the rack. Her hands moved to grab Emma's. "Your father and I have broken each other's hearts in this world and ours. But we always found each other. Henry found you and Neal found you."

She smiled softly before returning to the dishes, hoping she instilled a bit of sense into her daughter.

\---

Emma found Neal on the fire escape, his hands dug deep into his jean pockets as he stared up into the night sky.

"They're not this bright back in Vancouver."

"I wouldn't know," Emma said, folding her arms around her waist in an attempt to fight off the chill. "Look, I just wanted to say thanks. With the whole car thing and Henry."

"You didn't want him to know. I get it," Neal nodded. She gave a small smile for her thanks and turned to go before his voice caught her attention.

"Are we still fighting?" He asked, glancing at her.

She shivered before answering. "I'm not gonna pick up where we left off."

He shrugged off his jacket and wrapped it around the blonde. "Can't we try again?"

She tugged the jacket closer around herself, the musk of his cologne was different compared to Regina's sweet perfume scent. "For the record, I'm keeping this 'cause I'm cold, but no. I can't."

He nodded, taking in the street lights and the calmness below here. "Not used to the quiet yet. I lived in the city."

"Past tense?"

His eyebrows rose, silently answering her question.

"Me too. Boston."

"So what, you got a spontaneous idea to show up in Storybrooke, Maine?" He asked leaning against the railing.

She stepped forward, leaning over but facing the street. He was right. It was quiet here. "Henry found me. He came knocking on my door on my birthday and yanked me four hours away from my life and dropped the fairy tale bomb on me in the car."

"It must have been lonely," Neal spoke softly, eyeing the blonde looking down on the street.

"It was," she responded quietly and turned to meet his gaze.

"Past tense?"

Emma smirked.

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened?"

She took a moment to consider his question. The truth was that she had thought about where she'd be now if she hadn't gone to jail, if Neal hadn't had framed her. Her seventeen-year old vulnerable and naïve side pictured them in a good enough apartment with a kid running around like mad. She knew he'd settle down for her, and by his presence now and his involvement in Henry's life, she was right to assume that. "No. No I don't."

"Why not, Emma? We were good together." He stepped in closer, their exhaled breath mingling in the air.

She steeled her jaw against him. "Because I went to Tallahassee when I got out. You weren't there."

"I'm here now."

"And I've moved on."

"With Regina? The woman responsible for breaking us up?" He pointed out.

Emma yanked the jacket off her shoulders and thrust it into Neal's arms. "I don't remember her picking up the phone and calling the cops."

She put a foot on the ledge ready to climb back in through the window before pausing to look at the man. "Yeah. Past tense."

Before she could disappear, he took a hold of her arm. "Let's call a truce, okay?"

She examined him for a moment, wondering what he was playing at but she couldn't detect any malice. Finally she nodded. "Fine."

\---

Regina woke in the middle of the night by a body sliding into her bed. She'd never admit it, but she was more than a little upset that Emma had to suddenly leave before dinner, and now she had a lasagna sitting in her refrigerator. Granted, her invitation to join was immediately declined, but she had good reason. She didn't want to embarrass or disappoint Henry or Emma if she were to get into a heated argument with Snow or Charming. It was far too easy to slip into her old ways when the object of her hatred was sitting right there. So as it was, Regina spent the night alone until she felt the familiar warmth of the Sheriff wrapping around her.

She turned sleepily about to ask the blonde how her night was when she felt a full set of lips press against her own. Instinctively she returned the kiss, not getting the chance to deepen it herself when she felt Emma's tongue trace her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She didn't disappoint and soon, she was sighing contently under the blonde, her palm against smooth pale skin as she was pulled impossibly close.

"Hell of a wakeup call, Sheriff," Regina said throatily when they finally parted. She could feel the tilt of the blonde's lips against her jaw as they turned up in a smile.

Emma kissed her soundly once more, no tongue, no teeth, just the pressure of their lips pressed against one another. Emma whispered, still millimeters away from Regina's mouth that the tip of her tongue flicked against the brunette as she spoke. "Thank you for finding me."

Regina pulled her head back confused, searching green eyes. Emma's arms wrapped more securely around her, whether intentionally or subconsciously, Regina couldn't care. Receiving a simple yet intimate peck on the forehead, Regina was tugged closer to the blonde as she held her protectively well into their sleep.

\---

Regina arrived at the stables a little before seven, excited to be spending the day with Henry. When he asked her if she could help him ride a few days prior, she was all too eager to say yes. For the first time in years, they'd be able to do an activity together, just the two of them and truly enjoy themselves.

The familiar scent of the place brought a calming sensation over the woman, putting a content smile on her face. For so long she had avoided the Storybrooke Ranch because of the much too painful reminders of a love once lost, but now she was excited to turn the memories of the past into a timely activity she could share with Henry.

The sound of a car door slamming and a distant 'bye' had the brunette turning in time to see David in his truck dropping off her son. An instant grin appeared on her face as he walked over to her, still tired from the early morning wake.

"Hey Mom," Henry said stifling a yawn.

She dropped an arm around his shoulder as they walked into the stables. "Good morning."

She allowed Henry to lead them to his horse's stall and watched with pride as he walked in confidently, patting its muzzle and stroking back its mane.

"Hey Spirit, ready to ride again?" He gave a pat to its abdomen before leaving briefly to return with a bucket of oats.

Regina observed in the corner, immensely proud at how concentrated and sincere Henry was tending to and building a bond with his horse. It reminded her of the hours she spent with Rocinante.

"How have you and Spirit been getting along, dear?" Regina asked as Henry put a saddle on him. She stepped forward helping him buckle it up properly.

"Gramps doesn't want me going too fast, so he usually stays close as we trot on the pasture," the boy explained stepping on the stool to swing over his horse. He took the reins in his grasp like a natural.

She grinned looking up at him. She didn't realize how big her son was getting, how mature he was becoming, and here he was sitting on his own horse - the Enchanted Forest equivalent of getting a license.

She placed a hand on Spirit's neck letting him know she was there and spoke to Henry. "Let's get to it, then?"

The morning was spent with numerous smiles, laughter and general contentment. It had been far too long since mother and son bonded so soundly.

_I almost forgot what this feels like_ , Regina thought as she watched Henry and Spirit pick up speed.

Eventually he led Spirit back to where she was waiting where she helped him swing off the horse. Together they held the reins as they made their way back to the stable.

"Did you see how fast we went?" Henry asked with a proud grin.

Regina chuckled at the boy's definition of speed. "You two work well together."

"Gramps would have told me to slow down."

"Last I remember David herded sheep, not horses," she chided and inclined her head to the horse. "Let him guide you."

Henry grinned up at his mother, taking the reins completely as they settled back into his stall. He immediately went to completing his caretaking routine but halted mid-brush. "How come you didn't come to dinner last night?"

She offered up a resigned sigh and admitted quietly. "I'm not quite ready for that yet."

He nodded and continued his brushing. "It was fun. Neal was there."

This was news entirely to the brunette. Emma hadn't mentioned anything when she slipped into bed last night. Unconsciously folding her arms over her chest, she raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yeah, him and Gramps talked for hours, and I'm pretty sure Grandma likes him too," he replied oblivious to his mother's cold stance. "It was like a big family dinner. Except you weren't there."

She took a deep inhale to relax her tense muscles. The idea of a Charming family dinner burned into her mind's eye. The only consoling feature was that Henry had wished she were there.

Stepping towards her son, she weaved fingers through the back of hair. The image of Neal and Emma cozying up at the dinner table, the picture of a perfect family that should have been had she not enacted the curse made her skin crawl. Pressing a kiss to the back of Henry's head, she mumbled a quiet, "Perhaps next time."

\---

There was something wrong with Regina, that much Emma knew. What exactly was wrong was an entirely different story. She noticed the brunette was distant and cold, and far more snappy than usual. It was as if she was encountering Mayor Regina Mills all over again. Biting the bullet, Emma decided to confront the woman.

She waited on the stairs for her to return from a grocery run and stood as soon as the brunette walked in with her arms full with two brown paper grocery bags. "Hey."

"Miss Swan, be useful and grab a bag," Regina ordered.

The blonde rolled her eyes and stepped in to receive the bags Regina thrust upon her. She followed her to the kitchen where she was commanded with a sneer to place the bags on the counter. She let them drop on it with a thud.

"What the hell is up with you?" Emma spat.

Regina turned with a politician's smile. "Whatever do you mean, dear?"

The Sheriff held Regina's gaze, her own intent and determined. "Cut the crap, Regina. I know there's something wrong with you. You've avoided me for three days."

"I wouldn't want to get in the way of your precious time with Mr. Cassidy, now would I?" She answered and turned to begin putting the groceries away with clear anger in her movements.

"What?" Emma asked completely shocked. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn't that. She continued to be dumbstruck when the brunette thrust a jug of milk into her arms. "Be a dear and put that away."

She did so quickly letting the refrigerator door slam shut. "Why would I be with Neal?"

"You tell me." Regina stopped removing items from the bag and waited for an answer.

"Regina, I have no idea –"

"I know that he was there at your family's dinner," she revealed curtly.

_Oh._ Emma paused. Sighing she stepped towards the brunette, tilting her head in a frown when the woman stepped away from her grasp. "I didn't think it mattered."

"Of course, it matters. He's Henry's father and your parents love him."

Emma raised her eyebrow in an amused expression. "Are you jealous?"

Brown eyes flashed defiantly. "I am not jealous."

Smirking, Emma began to wound her arms around the brunette's waist, but Regina was having none of that as she effectively elbowed the Sheriff's rib and extracted herself. Emma stayed close but made a mental note not to touch her. "I'm not interested in getting back together with Neal."

Regina held Emma in a searching gaze for long minutes. When she finally spoke, her voice was low and questioning. "Why do you keep your car and that necklace?"

Emma's hand automatically shot up to her neck to toy with the swan charm dangling from it. Catching the reaction, Regina spoke again. "I know he gave it to you. It's quite the sentimental keepsake, Miss Swan."

"You want me to take it off? Is that what this is about?"

"I don't want to be someone's second choice." The words were spoken with power and force, but the emotional undertones didn't go unheard.

Slowly, Emma stepped reached over and put a palm over the older woman's hand, keeping her there when she tried to move away. "When I was eighteen I moved to Tallahassee to find him." She heard Regina sigh, clearly not willing to play their game, but she squeezed Regina's hand nonetheless.

With a displeased expression, Regina replied. "I once took the day to spend it with Daniel. I hid him in the bushes when my mother found me." She took a moment run a thumb above her lip. "She gave me this scar."

Instinctively Emma replaced Regina's roving thumb with her own. She always wondered how she had gotten the scar as it was one of her favourite places to nibble whenever the pair was being intimate. She could still feel the tension in the older woman, her face and hand tense under her touch.

"I keep the necklace to remind myself everyone is capable of hurting you." The truth hung in the air between them. When the silence lapsed, Emma spoke again, more softly this time, scared that Regina wouldn't accept the explanation. "If you want me to take it off –"

"No," the brunette stopped the blonde's movements of removing the necklace. "That's why I didn't magic the scar away."

Instinctively Emma replaced Regina's roving thumb with her own. She always wondered how she had gotten the scar as it was one of her favourite places to nibble whenever the pair was being intimate.

Emma could see the vulnerability in her hazel eyes. The glassy sheen it possessed did nothing to hide the lingering and deep-rooted pain it had seen no matter how hard Regina tried to hide it. Her fears, her confusions, her worries, her heart resided in the center of those hazel eyes.

With sure movements, Emma leaned down and captured Regina's lips, placing the softest of kisses on her scar.

\---

Needless to say the next dinner invitation that the Charmings offered Regina readily accepted, which made her blonde counterpart grin like a fool. She wasn't completely convinced Neal had humbling intentions despite Emma's confirmation there was nothing going on between them.

Her fears surfaced that night when she stepped into Emma's room and found the two locked at the lips.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma rummaged through her clothes in her room, making a mental note to take the ones she left at Regina's, or better yet, move there entirely. Once again, her parents thought it was a bright idea to invite Neal over for dinner when they knew full well that Regina would be coming as well. To say dinner was awkward would be an understatement, so the blonde had resorted to accepting more wine than usual.

The excess of wine made her motor control more clumsy than usual, and lo and behold, the Sheriff found herself with a giant red wine stain on her shirt after misjudging where the table was and frantically attempted to save the falling glass. Finally managing to find a clean shirt, she stripped off her ruined one and pulled over a long sleeve. She popped her head through the opening when she felt a presence in her room.

Neal walked in as if he'd done so a million times, casually looking at the keepsakes Emma collected over her time in Storybrooke. She folded her arms over her chest and sighed. "What?"

"Just looking." He peered closer to a school picture she kept of Henry on a shelf.

"Now?" Emma groaned exasperated.

Neal ignored the blonde and chuckled at a particular picture of a smaller Henry, face painted green and a body builder costume spray painted to match to complete the Incredible Hulk outfit. Picking it up, he looked on with a huge smile on his face. "He looks like you in this one."

Emma peered over his shoulder and smirked. "Are you saying I'm green?"

"No," he said replacing the frame and turning to face her. "He's got your eyes."

Emma tilted her lips up ever so slightly loving to hear that Henry shared her features. "He's getting your dimples," Emma admitted despite herself.

On cue, Neal grinned showing the dimples a younger Emma used to love tracing with her finger. He stepped closer, cautiously so, towards the blonde and took the chain between his fingers, inspecting the keychain dangling from it. Slowly he moved his hand up to brush her stray hair behind her ear, closing the gap completely. "I know you kept that for a reason."

Without letting her answer, he wrapped his arms around her back and pressed his lips to hers.

* * *

 

Emma's eyes widened, and she pushed off his chest giving his cheek a resounding slap. "What the hell was that?"

He cupped his reddening face. "I kissed you."

"Yeah, I noticed." She backed away putting distance between them. "You apparently haven't noticed the fact that I'm with someone else."

He straightened and took a step towards the blonde, halting when she held up a hand to motion him to stop. "I thought that's what you wanted."

She flailed her hands in exasperation. "No. Not anymore."

"But-"

Emma advanced towards the man, intimidation and no-nonsense written all over her face. "You wanted a truce? Here it is. You left me ten years ago, and I can't forget that. If you want to be friends or civil, then we can do that. But if I have to lock you up for sexual harassment I will not hesitate to do so."

Neal sighed defeated before nodding. "All right. Friends." He offered his hand which Emma shook. "You have a killer slap."

She rolled her eyes before brushing past him.

* * *

 

There was nothing like a reality check to sober herself up quickly, Emma realized as she exited her bedroom, leaving behind a somewhat embarrassed Neal. God, if Regina knew, she'd maim the man on the spot and send him to another dimension. No, Regina didn't have to know. She'd been doing so well that angering her would just be a setback.

Emma wiped away any evidence of the kiss on her sleeve as she descended the stairs where Regina was waiting, already in her coat and a scowl on her face. No doubt miffed at how long she took changing clothes. Thanking her parents and jokingly promising David to use the door on her arrival back, she and Regina left after the brunette nodded her thanks and pressed a kiss to her son's head.

* * *

 

Two weeks. It had been two weeks since Regina had caught Emma locked in the embrace of Neal Cassidy, and still, the blonde hadn't said a word. She wasn't sure what she was expecting. A part of her was furious at both Neal and Emma, the magic inside her bubbling at the thought, but another part of her, the dominant one, felt the all too familiar signs of betrayal and fear. Sure, she and the Sheriff butted heads, but she never thought Emma would stoop to the level of so many others in her past.

To make matters worse, the Sheriff and Neal had formed a sort of friendship, and it wasn't unusual for Emma to come home late from having drinks at the bar with Neal, August and Ruby. Drinks. Regina snorted at the thought. It was an annoying habit in the blonde, to constantly look for the good in people. Though it was a contributing factor in the push of their relationship, but that was beside the point.

Emma and Henry were her good things in this world and damn anyone who tried to tear it apart. The thought that Emma was the one to inadvertently do the tearing was nerve-wracking.

So she held her anger in check, partially denying the event had occurred and hoping the blonde would mention it just to prove it was a misunderstanding. But with each passing day, the fear and anger swirled together in a mixture that was the perfect recipe for the makings of an Evil Queen.

* * *

 

"You've been quiet lately," Emma noticed, pulling Regina's legs over her lap as the brunette read. She could feel the muscles in Regina's legs tense uncomfortably under her touch. She furrowed her brow and proceeded to question. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, are you?" She peered over her book with a scrutinizing glare.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

The brunette muttered a noise of acknowledgment before immersing herself back in her novel.

Emma sighed, not wanting to start a fight. She wiggled in her seat when she felt her cell phone vibrate and shimmied it out of her pocket. She laughed at the text and clicked away her reply.

Regina peered over her book once more, this time with a raised eyebrow. "Who's that?"

"No one," Emma answered, still chuckling from the message as she replaced her phone.

Regina set her book on her lap. "That doesn't appear to be the case."

The blonde frowned and turned a sheepish look to the former Mayor. "It's just Neal. He sent me a joke."

The older woman's lips parted ever so subtly at Emma's admission. "Then why feel the need to hide it from me, dear?"

The threat in her tone didn't go unnoticed. Rolling her eyes, Emma reached over taking one of Regina's hands in hers. "'Cause I know you don't like him and I don't want you to get mad that I'm talking to him."

"I think the better question here is why are you allowing him in your life." The brunette whipped her legs off of Emma and tossed her book unceremoniously on the couch as she stood, storming to the kitchen.

"We're just friends, Regina. It is possible to stay friends with an ex. I mean, my dad still talks to Kathryn." Emma stood and followed her.

"Forgive me if I find it hard to believe that man has any intention of just being friends with you." She poured herself a glass of wine and drained it before letting it settle. "You wanted to run him out of town three months ago."

"He's not a bad guy, Regina." The younger woman explained. "Can you blame him for wanting to spend time with Henry?"

"Henry is not who I am concerned he's charming." Regina slammed her glass down with force.

"You're jealous, " Emma said obviously.

"I'm not jealous!" The lights flickered at the brunette's intensity. Breathe, she reminded herself. Just like how Dr. Hopper taught you. With a deep exhale, she spoke through gritted teeth, trying to remember her steps to use her words and not her magic. "I feel as if he still has feelings for you, and your previous history and affiliation with him will put the notion in his head that you reciprocate those feelings."

Emma smirked. "So in other words, you're jealous."

Regina's eyes flashed. It was like talking to a goat sometimes. She swallowed hard, searching the cocky eyes that usually understood her so easily. It scared her that she was still looking.

"Look, we're just friends," Emma clarified and took a step closer to run her hands up and down the brunette's arms. "Tomorrow. You, me, Henry and Neal at Granny's, and I'll show you that there's nothing going on between us."

Regina still searched until she finally found the sincerity in Emma's green eyes. It calmed her a little before she nodded with a curt acceptance.

* * *

 

"Hey, there he is!" Neal greeted happily, giving Henry a high five when he and his mothers walked into Granny's. He pretended to shake out his hand. "Ouch, you been working out?"

The boy laughed and shook his head. Emma smiled at the father-son bond, but it just made Regina roll her eyes. The couple sat across from the two males at the center table of the diner. Regina didn't return the grin Neal offered to her despite the frown of disappointment on Emma's face.

"Everyone's usual?" Ruby asked, withholding the menus.

There was a collective nod around the table before the waitress smiled and took off. It irked the former Mayor to think Neal has stayed here long enough to be welcomed by the town, to build roots, to have a usual at Granny's.

"So how's riding, bud?" Neal asked, turning his chair to face Henry. Immediately Henry grinned and began engaging the table on how fast he went on Spirit recently.

Regina tensed and glared at the man. Riding was her and Henry's shared passion. He had no right to even think about asking about it. When Henry finished a story of how Spirit almost knocked David over, their food arrived effectively silencing the boy by its mere presence.

The brunette was tense through most of the dinner. It seemed that every single word, look or action that Neal did, Regina hated to her very core. Nothing this man did could please her. When she asked Emma to pass the salt and Neal handed it over to her, she stared at the shaker like it held some sort of disease before taking it and barely using it.

She could feel Emma's pleading eyes boring into the side of her head, but with every laugh, smile or any sort of pleasant exchange shared between the former lovers had Regina seeing red.

"Can I ask you two something?" Neal asked motioning to the two women.

"Very well," Regina set her cutlery down and eyed the man while the blonde just shrugged.

"How did you two get together? Weren't you on different sides?"

Both women exchanged a glance with each other, clearly thrown off by the question. True, it had taken some getting used to for the couple and the whole of Storybrooke to see that the former Evil Queen was trying to change her ways, but put so simply by an outsider observation it seemed absurd.

"I mean, she cursed you," Neal continued and faced Emma. "She separated you from your family."

"Thank you, Mr. Cassidy, for enlightening us on what we've already discussed and moved on from," Regina replied curtly. She ignored the sigh coming from the blonde who clearly hoped they would get through this dinner unscathed.

"I just find it a little hard to believe she'd be so willing to forgive you after wasting 28 years of her life."

Regina gaped at the man's audacity. "And what about you? Hmm? Framing her for a crime you committed and leaving her to fend for her pregnant self in a jail cell?"

"I did that so she could free this place from you," he responded, niceties thrown completely out the window.

By now the two fuming brunettes had raised their voices and the patrons of the diner were looking on in partial fear and curiosity. The mother and son sitting at their table just inched their chairs back ever so slightly, hoping to get out of the crossfire.

Regina pulled her head back, amazed by the man's blunt reasoning. The insecurities of being with the Savior surfaced briefly before she pushed it down. "Why, aren't you the martyr? Do you think you can just waltz into town and shower Henry with gifts to make up for your absence from the past ten years?"

"Since the kid left you to find his real mom, I think that whole Evil Queen bit outranks the fact I didn't even know he was born until now."

"That doesn't change the fact that you willingly walked out of Emma's life. It couldn't have been easy to let your girlfriend do your time in jail."

"It couldn't have been easy killing your father now, is it?" He grinned at Regina's stunned expression. "Yeah. I know."

In a flash of purple light, Regina extended her arm and sent the man flying backwards into the back wall of Granny's diner. Novelty clocks and vintage pictures cracked and fell under Neal's weight.

"Regina!" Emma yelled at the angry brunette before standing to rush over to the man who had a bump forming on the crown of his head.

Various diners had gotten up and rushed out of their booths, while the braver ones stuck around hoping to catch a free show. The purple in Regina's eyes could have scared anyone. Instead it earned her a disappointed glance from her son. "You said you were done with magic."

Regina blinked still feeling the power and seduction course through her veins. She steadied herself as she watched Emma try to rouse the disoriented Neal awake and graciously accepted a bag of ice that Granny offered.

All eyes were on her. Judging, hating, eyes bore into her before she was unable to take it anymore and left the diner with a slam of the door.

* * *

 

"What the hell was that?" Emma yelled when she found Regina nursing a cider in her study. "You could have seriously hurt him."

Regina glared. "What a shame."

"You're lucky he's not pressing charges."

The brunette scoffed. "I'm lucky? Why, because I'm sleeping with the Sheriff?"

The fact that they still hadn't given themselves a title hung over their heads.

"Did you tell him about my father?" Regina accused.

"No!" The glare the brunette sent the Sheriff was enough to make a grown man weep. "I just wanted him to know what you went through so that you two could be civil."

Regina invaded Emma's personal space, intentionally bumping shoulders before she growled. "That was private."

The blonde had enough sense to feel guilty.

"Civil?" Regina laughed before turning to the mantle. "If I recall, you did nothing as he sat there insulting me."

"Hey, you threw a few low blows too," Emma reasoned.

Regina turned abruptly, murder written all over her face. "Why are you defending him?"

"I'm just trying to be the voice of reason here."

"You weren't doing much speaking when his tongue was shoved down your throat, was it?"

Emma froze. _Oh shit._

"Yes," Regina said shakily and continued in a softer yet cold tone. "I saw you."

Already, Emma could feel the distance Regina was putting between them. She rushed to take a hold of Regina's arms but halted when the brunette cringed from her touch. "I pushed him away."

The older woman held herself, eyes watering as she looked everywhere but Emma. Her voice wavered when she first opened it but cleared her throat to speak clearly. "He still loves you."

Emma's silence was all she needed to confirm that the blonde knew of Neal's intentions.

Emma closed the gap between them, placing a hand against the olive-toned cheek. "Regina-"

The brunette just shook her head and pushed away from the Sheriff's grasp. She exited the study and marched up the stairs to her room where the slamming of the door indicated she was to be left alone.

* * *

 

She wasn't surprised that Emma hadn't followed her up. On more than one occasion, Regina had snapped at the blonde during her need to be alone when in a fight, and it was clear that the younger woman was learning.

Muffled voices from outside brought her to her window where she saw Neal, an ice pack held firmly to his head, and Henry, talking animated, walk down the street towards the pathway.

The slam of the door below was indication that Emma left, and within moments, a mess of blonde hair moved in her periphery as Emma walked down the path to greet father and son.

She watched as Henry moved towards Emma who dropped her arms around his shoulders. The boy looked up as the two adults spoke, Emma looking apologetic as Neal shrugged it off casually.

Regina couldn't get the image of Henry's disappointed face when she attacked Neal with magic. Not only did she argue with the man, but she used magic against Henry's father in front of Henry. She instantly regretted the action as soon as she felt the familiar seduction of the dark arts, but her emotions took a life of its own. She couldn't even imagine what Henry thought of her now. Four months of being magic-free went right down the drain.

Emma's laughter caught her attention as she watched Emma grin up at the man. The pain in Regina's heart tripled while she watched her family - _their_ family - interact as they should have been. They would have been happy if it weren't for her. Henry would get both parents. Emma would be with her first love. And Neal? Well, he was just a lucky bastard.

She let one tear drop before turning away from the window. She couldn't watch them anymore. Not when they looked like the ideal family. The turn of events wasn't surprising. She was the Evil Queen, after all, but with Emma back from the Enchanted Forest wanting to be with her, she thought maybe, just maybe, this was how it was supposed to play out. This was her happy ending. But Evil Queens don't get happy endings.

* * *

 

Emma gave Regina a few hours to cool off before returning to the mansion. If she was being honest with herself, she would admit she was slightly terrified of Regina's wrath now that she knew Regina had witnessed the kiss while Emma said nothing.

So after making sure Neal was all right and walking Henry home, explaining that Regina's magic was just a one-time thing, she drove back to the mansion during the night, surprised to see all the lights turned off and the Benz missing from the driveway.

Confused, she stepped out of the bug and let herself in. "Regina?"

She was met with silence.

Climbing up the stairs, the nerve-wracking feeling that something wasn't right crept up the blonde's spine. There didn't seem to be a break in. Everything was in immaculate condition just as Regina would have left it. But something was wrong about the atmosphere.

She pushed open the master suite to find it empty save for a piece of paper on the bed. Rushing to it, Emma picked it up and scanned the note.

_I can't be the one to break up any more families, let alone yours. The house is yours to do with what you will. Please tell Henry I love him. I wish you all the happiness in the world._

Emma swallowed thickly.

Regina was gone.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Emma called Regina's phone twice an hour, but it continued going straight to voicemail. She searched every square-inch of Storybrooke but came up dry. It unnerved her to think the brunette had left town, knowing full well the town line wouldn't affect the caster of the curse. Still in a state of denial, she drove around town a second time, asking people along the way whether they had spotted Regina.

"Yeah, I saw her," Leroy hauled his axe across his shoulder. "What's it to you?"

Relief flooded Emma's mind. "Where'd she go? Where is she?"

The dwarf shrugged not even a little concerned of the Evil Queen's absence. "Heading out of town by the looks of it."

Emma's heart dropped to the pit of her stomach. "She left town?"

"Good riddance, if you ask me."

"No one's asking you," the Sheriff growled, taking out her frustration on the man.

"Hey, easy there, sister," he raised a hand in defense. He turned abruptly when Emma pushed passed him. "You better not go after her! Snow will kill you!"

* * *

"No," Snow said firmly. "Under no circumstances are you leaving town."

"I'm not asking for your permission," Emma replied gathering a small bag of clothes.

"You don't even know where she is," her mother reasoned.

"Yeah, well I didn't know where you were either, and I found you all right." She leaned over her bed to grab the only picture she had of herself and Regina.

"Emma," Snow spoke softly. "If I know Regina-"

"But you don't."

"Then she won't want to be found," the tiny brunette continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"Mom's gone?"

Both women turned to see Henry standing wide-eyed in the doorway.

"Where did she go?"

Emma sighed. She had hoped to tell him she had business to take care of and leave it at that. "I don't know," she answered honestly and bent down to his eye level. "But I'll bring her back."

She threw a less-than-apologetic glance at Mary Margaret before moving to exit the room.

"I'm coming too!"

"No way, kid." Emma slung her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her keys. "Your mother has a full day head start on me and you have school."

"But I can help," Henry reasoned, tugging on Emma's arm.

"Henry!" Emma yelled exasperated, her tone harsh and frustrated. She winced at herself when she saw the hesitance and shock in the boy's face. "Sorry, I just, I don't want to lose her either."

"Then trust me," he pleaded. "I can help."

* * *

Regina had driven all night, the image of Emma, Henry and Neal as a happy family burned into her retina, the memory of Emma and Neal kissing forever stored in her brain. She believed Emma when she said that she pushed Neal away, but the fact that the man thought he was able to get anywhere with _her_ \- whatever they were was more than enough. If Emma couldn't set boundaries, then Regina would gladly set them for the blonde.

The drive wasn't easy. As soon as she crossed the boundary line a part of her wished she'd forget everything, but she kept on driving, memory intact.

Four hours into the night, she found herself in Boston and scowled at herself. She'd spent the last 28 years in Storybrooke and had no idea where to go. It was as if a magnet pulled her to wherever Emma left her mark. If that kept up, the former Mayor would find herself all over the country.

Pulling into a hotel parking lot, Regina checked herself in a room, tossed her purse onto the dresser, kicked off her heels and sat on the edge of the bed.

The silence engulfed her, ringing loudly in her ears. Letting out a shaky breath, Regina cried.

* * *

"Hey stranger."

Emma placed the gas pump in the bug's tank. "Not now, Neal."

"Going somewhere?" He asked, leaning against the trunk.

"Yes."

Neal waited then motioned for her to continue. "Where?"

She turned toward him exasperated. "I can't be near you right now, okay?" She took a moment to think. "Or ever actually."

"What?" Neal laughed thinking it was a joke. He moved closer to the blonde. "What do you mean, ever?"

She stared at him for a moment and whispered. "Regina left. After yesterday. We had an argument or something, and she's gone."

"So are you two," he made a motion with his hands as if weighing his options.

Emma pursed her lips and slammed the nozzle back in its home. "Look, Regina's gone and I need to get her back, and by the time we come back I want you gone."

"What did I do?"

"She left because of you!"

Henry opened the passenger door from inside and stuck his head out. "Are you guys fighting?"

"Back in the car, kid." They spoke in unison. Henry rolled his eyes before shutting the door.

"What do I have anything to do with it?" Neal questioned.

"Because! She's tired of having you around and us hanging out and she caught you kissing me," Emma hissed the last part for the sake of Henry.

"She's tired of me or she's tired of you hanging out with me?" He folded his arms over his chest, his eyebrow raised.

The blonde opened her mouth but shut it quickly.

"I thought so."

"That's beside the point," she huffed.

"No," he leaned in to whisper. "I think you like spending time with me. I think you miss it. And Regina? She knows that too."

Emma's eyes flashed and she pushed the man away roughly. The worry in her eyes clouded over the anger when he spoke again. "You know I'm right."

She eyed him as his words sunk in. She couldn't remember a day in the past couple months where she and Neal hadn't had some form of interaction. She never lied to Regina about where she was going, but she never thought it'd be a problem. They were just friends.

Emma shut her eyes and turned away momentarily. Two people who used to be in a relationship could be friends. They could go out for drinks and share a son. She groaned. That's exactly how her and Regina started out. _God, what the hell, Swan?_

"Maybe I did, okay? Maybe I missed you for a little bit." She pushed him again when he smirked triumphant. "But I'm not gonna let someone I love slip through my fingers again."

"You love her?"

She yanked her necklace off her neck and placed it in his hand, closing his fist around it. She spoke with a quiet determination. "You know what pisses me off?" He squinted confused at the question but let her continue. "People thinking they know what's best for me. My parents sent me away and you broke my heart. You know what would have happened to us?"

He shook his head.

"We would have raised a family together. We would have lived a good enough life with just the three of us, and we wouldn't have known about the curse or magic or anything."

She moved to put her palm to his cheek and smiled. "But I'm glad you did." She laughed at the thought. "I'm glad my parents stuck me in a wardrobe. I'm glad I was in the system for so damn long. I'm glad you framed me."

She pulled his head to meet her gaze when he tried to turn away in shame. "I am. Because I wouldn't have met Regina."

"She left for your best interest too," he tried sheepishly

"I know, but this time I deserved it."

He chuckled awkwardly, shuffling his feet in a nonchalant manner.

"Here," Emma placed the keys to the bug in his hand.

He made a face. "Is this the burning of all your ex-boyfriend's stuff phase?"

She smirked and started to walk away. When she got to the passenger door she faltered and turned slowly. Looking embarrassed she walked back to him.

He laughed and tossed her back the keys. "I'll have the lighter fluid ready when you and the missus come back."

* * *

 

Regina wandered the streets of Boston, not entirely certain of her destination but needing to get out of the hotel room. Boston was huge compared to Storybrooke. The streets were littered with people, all of whom she had no idea of who they were but at the same time had no idea who she was. The thought was only mildly comforting when faced with the overwhelming amount of loneliness.

It had been two days since she left Storybrooke, and the former Mayor was almost disappointed that Emma hadn't been right on her tail hauling her back to their little town. But that's what she wanted, wasn't it? To get away.

At least she didn't curse an entire population just to get away this time, she mused. Anyone be damned who said Regina Mills never made any progress.

She continued her walk, her high-waisted skirt, blouse and blazer ensemble blending in well with the lunch rush of business men and women who pushed passed everyone in their haste. Time was money to them, but to Regina, time was her jail cell. She had too much of it, and with every blonde woman that walked passed her, with every brunette boy running down the street, with every flash of a yellow bug (which happened more often than it should), Regina felt the bars close in.

It was the second day Regina found it. Having spent the day mindlessly wandering about, she found a bench close to the harbor-side. The seagulls cawed, the waves pushed rhythmically against the elevated path, and the red and white lighthouse just off to the distance spun its light in a revolving endless loop. It was quite nice actually. Instead of just docks built up to the shore, it led up to a bricked pathway where, Regina noticed, runners, dog-walkers and couples would take route. Letting her tired feet rest for a moment, she sat and closed her eyes, letting the smell of sea salt and a hint of fish remind her, just briefly, of home.

After that, the brunette found herself going to that bench every day, with a novel, a small lunch or just to sit. Every day she thought of going to a new city, laughing at herself for how ironic the turn of events played out, but she somehow convinced herself to stay.

* * *

"You said you can help, kid. Get that thinking cap on." Emma dropped onto her bed in a slightly less than seedy motel room.

"She's still in Boston," Henry said exasperated for the fourth time.

"We've been here for three days, Henry."

"She wouldn't go that far from me," he reasoned.

"She'd go further from me," Emma pouted to herself.

"No offense," Henry said with a smirk, "but I trump you."

Emma sat up and glared. "So all we have is that your mom just got in her car and drove and that she's somewhere in Boston."

"Yes," he said as if she was finally getting it.

"That's next to nothing, kid." Getting up, she pulled out the picture of herself and Regina. "Stay here, I'm gonna check the hotels again."

She waited until he acknowledged the command and left the room.

* * *

Emma never thought she'd be in Boston again. After finally settling down, she couldn't picture herself being anywhere but Storybrooke, but the background noise of cars honking, people chattering and the energy of the city brought a sense of nostalgia she never thought she possessed.

She tried every single classy hotel she could think of, showing Regina's picture to every member of staff on the lobby floor and even went to an internet cafe to see if she could trace Regina's credit card. Apparently the woman was smart enough to carry cash when running from a former bail bondswoman.

By the time midnight rolled around, Emma felt down on her luck. The looming uncertainty that she'd never find Regina was becoming more and more a reality. She had phoned Henry earlier to state she'd be back late and to order room service. Truth be told, the blonde didn't want to face the boy and have to tell him again that she hadn't found his mother.

So Emma wandered, finding herself at the harbor she spent so many nights escaping loneliness. Little did she know that hours earlier, Regina had been sitting on the benches a mere twenty feet away.

* * *

 

Regina was drunk for the first time in a long time. A really long time. She stumbled as she walked through the streets of Boston on her four-inch stilettos, the off-beat clicking of her heels were the only sound in the quiet 2 AM atmosphere.

She had been in Boston for a week when she finally hit rock bottom. Grabbing a coffee at a local shop, she held her breath when she saw a mess of blonde hair followed by a brown haired boy in her periphery. She turned slightly, preparing herself for a reunion, but when she turned and saw that it was just a mother and son grabbing a late snack, her heart broke and she left her untouched coffee on the barista bar and raced back to her hotel to raid the mini fridge.

The small bottles weren't enough, but they provided the buzz she needed. She rushed to the nearest liquor store and purchased the biggest bottle of tequila they had. Drinking a quarter of it well into the night, the brunette concocted the brilliant idea of finding Emma's old apartment and cursing it. With what yet, she wasn't sure, but she'd think of something. And it'd be evil.

Taking numerous attempts to slip into her heels and forgoing her trench coat, she took a final swig of her liquid courage and noisily exited the hotel.

She couldn't care less of the men eyeing her as she wobbled down the street. Instead, she stopped a few along the way asking if they knew where Emma lived. Ignoring their advances, she brushed passed them like the Evil Queen she was and found herself at the harbor.

Who needed Emma Swan, anyhow? She spent her whole life without her, what's five insignificant months of relationship? She stumbled. No, they weren't in a relationship. Regina was just a placeholder for that Cassidy man.

Bypassing her bench completely, she inched towards the simple chain barricade, separating the raised platform from the five foot drop to the ocean below.

In any other given circumstance, the chain would have prevented sober, life-loving people from toppling into the water below. The 4-foot poles connected by the chain was no match for a drunken Regina Mills on stilettos.

* * *

Nothing. They'd been in Boston for six days and came up with nothing. Emma huffed and stared at the picture of Regina as if willing her to spring up from the print and appear before her. She'd been staring at the picture, going over notes and trying to mentally get inside Regina's head. The cycle repeated well passed midnight, and Emma was nowhere closer to finding the brunette than finding another portal back to the Enchanted Forest.

"Where are you?" She whispered to the woman in the picture, looking displeased but Emma could see in her eyes how much she was enjoying herself.

Needing to clear her head, she tucked the picture in the breast pocket of her jacket before leaving a note for Henry, letting him know she'd be back.

* * *

Emma lost herself in her thoughts on her walk. The quiet calm in the early morning hours was a reminder of why she stayed in the city, but at the same time, the quiet calm of her apartment reminded her why she left.

Habitually, she made her way to the docks and sat at her bench, rolling her eyes at a drunken woman in what looked like a hoochie dress twenty feet away. Thursday Ladies Night was still successful at the club, it seemed.

Emma huffed and let her chin drop into her hands. What was she gonna do? She refused to return to Storybrooke unless she found Regina. Whether the brunette wanted to come back with her was another question.

She jerked her head up when the sound of splashing interrupted her peaceful thinking. She glanced around seeing no one in sight. Not even a drunken hoochie dresser . . .

She bolted up and ran to where she last saw the woman and peered over the chain-link barrier. The water was eerily still, reflecting Emma like a mirror. Maybe she didn't hear right. Maybe a rock just fell.

Suddenly, a mop of brown hair broke through the surface with a loud gasp.

"Holy shit," Emma mumbled, whipping off her jacket and diving into the water.

Despite the freezing temperature and the burn in her eyes from the salt, she tread towards the woman, avoided flailing limbs and wrapped an arm around her torso, pulling them towards the dock. "I got you. I got you."

She heaved to lift the woman onto stable ground before yanking herself up, lying face first on the wood beneath her and panting for breath.

Turning her head to inspect the drowner, she noticed her chin-length hair clinging to her face, her skin-tight dress wrapped around her like a second skin due to the moisture and the missing heel on her left foot. Emma scrunched up her face, wiping the water out of her eyes. She knew that dress, those heels, that a-

"Regina?"

* * *

_So this is it_ , Regina thought relatively calmly as her body submerged in the cold water which was just as good as time in sobering up. _This is how the Evil Queen is going to die. Drunk and disoriented in the coast of Boston._

She almost let herself be taken in. The blackness of the water consumed her, and she briefly wondered that maybe she was dead already until the need for oxygen burned her lungs. But she couldn't find it in her to move her limbs. She felt like dead weight, and panic seized her, pulling her deeper and deeper into the blackness.

An image of Emma and Henry popped into her mind, and Regina calmed ever so slightly. _They'll be happy_ , she thought. Just as her need for air became overbearing, she used all her energy to propel herself upwards, drinking the salty water just before she broke the surface.

She gagged and flailed profusely, trying her best to stay afloat when an arm wrapped around her, leading them to where the smaller boats were docked and lifting her up onto the man-made path.

She sucked in air greedily, wretching and spitting out bile to clear her airways. She kept a hand planted on the dock while using the other to press against her chest, urging her lungs to breathe in.

It wasn't until the hairs on the back of her neck prickled that she remembered her savior for the evening. Her entire body shivered, be it from the cold or some other cause, when she heard the voice.

"Regina?"

She stilled, disbelieving she'd heard correctly. Slowly, she turned, glancing through the wet curtain of hair occluding her view, but there was no doubting the blonde hair and now see-through wife beater of the other. There was Emma Swan, doing what she does best at saving Regina, and looking like a wet rat to boot.

Instantly, the blonde crawled toward her and cupped her face between her hands, brushing away drenched and sticking locks from her face. "Oh god, Regina."

All efforts of Regina attempting to breathe was thrown out the window when she felt the blonde's arms wrap tightly around her neck and back. When she pulled back, the relief and wonder in the younger woman's face couldn't be missed, but Regina simply cleared her throat and inched away.

"You hold up your title well, Sheriff," Regina said hoarsely and none too gracefully moved to stand up. Her missing heel put her at an awkward height, but she marched purposefully off the swaying deck and back up to the solid pathway.

"Wait, Regina." Emma walked quickly to keep up with her and tugged her arm. The goosebumps were raised so heavily on the woman. "What the hell were you doing?"

"It seemed like a fine night for a swim, Miss Swan. Don't you agree?"

Ignoring her sass, Emma kept her hand on the older woman's bare arm and rubbed. "You're freezing." Without waiting for a response, she stalked to her discarded jacket and wrapped it around Regina's shoulder.

Averting her gaze, the brunette simply clutched the jacket closer around her and kicked off her pairless heel before walking to her bench.

Emma gave her own arms a quick once over before following suit and stopping just before the sitting woman. She tugged on her hand. "Let's get you out of those clothes."

"My, my, aren't you presumptuous about this evening?" Her fake smile glowed in the moonlight.

"Regina!" Emma groaned, her irritation mixing with frustration, coldness and relief. Taking a breath, she crouched in front of the woman, taking her hands within her own and spoke softly. "Regina, please come home."

The brunette turned her head away, locking her jaw. Emma continued trying to search for those captivating brown eyes. "I am so, so sorry. I never took into account your feelings, and I just brushed you off."

She moved her hand to the older woman's cheek but it was quickly swatted away. "There's no need to rehash what I already know, Miss Swan."

Emma swallowed hard. The cold, distancing gaze that Regina was known for surfaced. "Regina, I-" Emma choked on her words feeling her stomach drop. _No, no, no. This can't be it._

In a fluid motion, she stood enough to slide onto the bench, putting space between herself and the brunette. Her hands clenched in her lap as she studied them furiously. Fear crippled any other movement in the blonde. Fear that this woman, this amazing, borderline-psychotic, stunning woman would walk out without a second glance.

* * *

Usually Regina reveled in silencing her adversary, but the silence between herself and Emma made her uncomfortable. A small part of her, more if she wasn't lying, was relieved she'd been found. But the hurt part of her, the part that was the sole motivator of most of her decisions in life, screamed at her to get away before she suffered anymore.

Warmth began to return to her under Emma's red leather jacket when she saw the blonde beside her shiver uncontrollably yet unaware of it. She opened her mouth to offer the jacket back when Emma spoke, her voice quiet, desperate and quivering.

"When I was eighteen, I gave my baby up for adoption."

Regina whipped her head to Emma's direction, confusion written all over her face. That wasn't much of a secret.

"When I was twenty-eight," Emma continued, "I followed that kid to this little middle-of-nowhere town in Maine, and I met this woman."

Regina shut her mouth, leaning her head in to hear more.

"I don't know when exactly," Emma's voice contained a hint of a chuckle, "but I started to have feelings for that woman."

The blonde's hands flexed to generate more blood flow. "Five months ago, I got to kiss her for the first time. Nothing ever felt as good knowing that I could do that with her whenever we want."

"But four months ago," Emma's voice lowered, ashamed and solemn, "I made a stupid mistake in reliving my past. A week ago, she walked out on me, and I don't blame her at all. Tonight she almost died, and right now, I don't know if I'll ever get to be with her again."

Regina inhaled sharply. She didn't need to see Emma's face to know that when the blonde looked up to the night sky inhaling deeply that her eyes were glassy.

"At-" Emma cleared her throat and looked at her watch, "2:32 am, I'm telling her that I, that I love her, that I don't deserve her, that I want to be anything she wants me to be just as long as I get to be with her."

Regina's mouth parted ever so slightly. This was the most Emma willingly shared without a secret in return. It was debatable which woman was so heavily guarded, but right now, the blonde had put her heart on her sleeve for Regina to do with it what she will.

Emma turned her head to catch Regina who had been staring the entire time. Her eyes were watery, her cheeks were red, her lips blue and her hair clinging to her in a mess of blonde tangles.

_There she is_ , Regina thought breathlessly, caught in Emma's gaze. There's the woman who despite every evil thing she'd done fought tirelessly for her.

" _I'm sorry_ ," Emma gasped out before turning away to hide her weakness.

* * *

Emma hid her face in her hands, taking deep breaths to steady her breathing. She couldn't let Regina see her cry. She was supposed to be the strong one.

Suddenly she felt her jacket drape over her shoulders and the weight of the bench lighten. She closed her eyes and gasped out loudly, not wanting to look up because if she did, she knew Regina would be gone.

Her arms were tugged away from her face and pulled to stand her up. She held her breath seeing Regina still there before her, tugging the jacket around her closer and rubbing her hands up and down her arms over the leather.

She wasn't sure what Regina was doing and she was partially scared to find out.

"It's passed 2:32 and you still haven't told her," she whispered staring intently at Emma.

Emma's eyes widened and immediately sought Regina's. "I love you," she whispered softly.

Regina's lips tilted in a genuine smile. "I think there's more to that."

Emma chuckled in the surreal moment. She closed the gap between them, their damp bodies pressing against each other. Without her heels, Regina was a good four inches shorter than the blonde, so Emma bent her head keeping each other warm with the mingling of their hot breath. She spoke sincerely and absolutely. "I don't deserve you. You can have whoever you want, and I don't care if we're girlfriends or friends, or we get married or whatever. If the only thing I can get is some place in your life then I'll take it."

Regina bit her lip and looked down. "A week after you stormed through Storybrooke, I was intrigued by you."

She chanced a glance up at Emma and gasped, grabbing her face between her palms. "Your lips are blue!"

Emma ignored her worried state and held onto Regina's waist. "What do you want us to be?"

"Emma, you're going to get hypothermia," Regina said firmly and began to tug at the blonde's hand. "So we're going to go home, put you in bed and warm you up."

"Mighty presumptuous of you," Emma quipped, noticing that her teeth chattered.

"I wouldn't want my girlfriend to die on me," Regina said offhandedly.

Emma grinned and tugged Regina back to her, catching her lips, allowing their warmth to sooth her flesh.

She felt Regina grin against her lips before capturing them again, willing the kiss to last longer and deeper.

"Emma, I-" Regina faltered, her words dying on her lips. Whenever she expressed love to anyone they always left her, so she clutched the younger woman closer to her. "I-"

Emma placed another soft kiss on the brunette. "I'll still be here when you're ready to tell me," Emma promised.

Regina's eyes brightened. She had absolutely no doubt that Emma spoke the truth.

* * *

"Hey."

Regina turned from the inspecting some vegetables in Storybrooke's grocery store to see the speaker. She'd been back in Storybrooke for a couple of days now, and frankly, it was good to be home. It was a pleasant surprise to see that Henry had tagged along in his blonde mother's quest to find her, and by the time afternoon rolled around, the family were in Regina's Benz heading home.

She eyed Neal with pursed lips. "Mr. Cassidy."

"It's good to see you back."

Regina made a noise of acknowledgment before grabbing a few stalks of celery.

"Emma went crazy without you. Tore up all the streets and shook down everyone looking for you."

She looked at the shuffling man from the corner of her eye before walking over to the carrots.

"I'm gonna go."

She turned to raise a curious eyebrow.

"I'm gonna leave Storybrooke. There's nothing for me here." He glanced down at the key in his hand attached to a swan key chain. "But apparently I got a car back in Boston."

Regina stared at the items in his hand and couldn't help but feel just a little bit better. She nodded politely before turning back to her grocery shopping.

"I see it."

She turned back and questioned when he didn't continue. "See what, Mr. Cassidy?"

"I see what she sees in you. You're not that bad," Neal nodded before offering up his patented grin and turning to go.

"Hey, found the bread," Emma said from behind Regina as she placed the bread and slyly dropped a box of cookies in the basket.

Regina turned and motioned to the cookies with her eyes.

"I'll pay for it," Emma defended.

Regina grinned at her petulant pout before closing the gap between them and kissing her suddenly. She held onto the collar of her jacket before pulling back slightly. "I love you."

The words came out easily, as if she'd been saying them for years. She knew she'd been feeling it for months, but the easiness was liberating.

Emma grinned goofily, turning to follow Regina as she continued her shopping like she didn't just leave herself vulnerable to the blonde seconds before.

"I wonder what I'll get if I pay for the groceries," Emma joked catching up with Regina and taking the basket from her.

"How long do you plan on paying for them?" The brunette quipped.

"As long as I'm around," Emma said and laced her fingers with Regina's.

"Between your appetite and Henry's, you'll be going bankrupt before Henry enters high school, dear." Regina's eyes sparkled with mirth.

Emma pressed her lips just above Regina's ear and whispered sultry. "Maybe I can convince the Mayor to give me a raise."

Regina laughed out loud and pushed the blonde away. "That's your mother."

Emma scrunched up her face, disgusted with herself at having forgotten.

"I hope you save up, dear." Regina smiled. "You're in for years and years' worth of groceries."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The original prompt was sent by an anon on Tumblr: A future fic where Neal comes to Storybrooke and is reunited with Emma and Henry. Regina sees this and decides to leave Storybrooke. Emma and Henry find out and go after her and Swan Queen ending! I hope I did this story justice, anon! For everyone who's read, reviewed, favourited and alerted this story, I thank you so much for taking the time to do so.


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